Detaching harness from horses



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DETACI-IING HARNESS FROM HORSES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,044, dated June 15, 1852.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE YELLOTT, of Bel Air, Harford county, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement on Carriage-Harness, designed forpreventing accidents arising from horses running away or becoming otherwise unmanageable and beyond the control of the driver.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in so constructing the hames and saddle-tree of the harness as to enable the driver, at any time, by a single pull of a cord, to detach the horse from the vehicle, so that the animal, stripped of the harness, goes off with nothing but his collar, bridle and reins attached.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The accompanying drawing A represents the left hand hame; drawing B represents the right hand hame. These hames may be made of iron, wood or other material of sufficient strength. At the bottom each hame has a curve outward. They are fastened at the bottom by a strap with a ring on one end of it. The other end of said strap being made fast to the opposite hame, said ring is passed over the other haine, and thus prevents them from coming apart at the bottom after they are put over the collar and fastened at t-he top. Said strap might be so arranged as to have a buckle attached by which it could be drawn tight or loosened at pleasure, though said buckle might be dispensed with according to the fancy of the maker of the harness (figure The hames are made so as to fasten at the top in the following manner. The right hand haine B has at the top a small chain or strap on the end of which is a key with a small eye through it (as represented by figure l) the left hand hame has a hole through it of proper size and shape for said key to be fitted into; the said left hand haine has also a perpendicular spring (figure 2) on t-he side nearest to the carriage; which said spring has a tendency to press firmly against the hame. Said spring has a tooth or catch on it at one end which fits into a hole made in the side of the hame and through into the other hole which is intended for the key of the right hand hame to pass into. The said key of the right hand haine is then pressed into its intended place or aperture in the opposite hame, and upon being pressed against the tooth or catch on the said perpendicular spring on the left hand haine, said spring iiies back until said tooth or catch slides into the eye in the key, into which it firmly presses and thus holds the hames together at the top. Drawing C represents the haines when fastened at bottom and top as above explained.

In the back of the perpendicular spring (figure 2) and on the top or end of said spring is a small ring setting horizontally toward the carriage. To this ring is attached a cord of suiiicient strength for the purpose; this cord is pased along the horses back and attached to the dash board or some other' convenient part ofy the carriage.

Upon pulling this cord the perpendicular spring is drawn back, the hames fly apart at the top, and drop loose at the bottom, and thus the animal is detached from his traces. It is contemplated to construct the spring on the left hand haine of such strength as not to yield except to a stout or forcible pull of t-he arm.

The residue of the harness is constructed as follows. The saddle tree is formed of two separate pieces made of iron, wood or other suitable material. Drawing E represents the right hand section of said saddle tree. This section has a groove commencing shallow and running back with an increased depth inward; theV bottom of said groove thus forming an inclined plane with its greatest elevation outward. Drawing D represents the left hand section of the saddle tree. This section has a tongue of the proper size and shape to fit neatly into the said groove in the opposite section. Figure 4 represents this tongue. The two sections are then brought together and the said tongue being fitted into the said groove, they are fastened as follows. A piece of spring steel (see figure 5) is attached to the side of the right hand section farthest from the carriage. This works on hinges and is made to pass over the tongue of the left hand section when fitted into the groove of the right hand section, and has a tendency to fly upward and backward when pressed down over the surface of the said tongue lit-ted into said groove. This spring is held down over the surface of said tongue by another perpendicular spring (figure 6) which is atached to the right hand section on the side next to the carriage, and has a tendency to press tightly against said section, and having a clasp to it, seizes the end of the other spring and holds it firmly down in its intended position, over the surface of the tongue fitted into the groove as aforesaid. This perpendicular spring has also a small ring (precisely similar to the one described as belonging to the perpendicular spring on the left hand hame) which ring has attached to it a branch of the same cord running backward from the ring on the left hand hame.

The saddle tree has on the top two pieces of iron or other vmetal shaped like two large half rings or staples standing perpendicularly one on each section, (as represented by ligures 7 and 8) but the shape of these pieces u may be varied according to fancy. It has also on the back of it two smaller half rings or staples setting back horizontally toward the carriage as represented by figures 9 and 10. lVhen the two sect-ions of the saddle tree are brought together and fastened as before described the upright of front rings come together in the manner shown by drawing F; and through these upright rings thus standing on the front part of the saddle tree the driving reins are passed, and to these front upright rings the reins of the bridle are also attached. 'To the back or horizontal half rings, brought together as above mentioned, the strap connecting the breeching with the saddle is attached.

Drawing F represents the two sections of the saddle fastened together.

The annexed drawings represent the spring (figure 2) on the left hand hame and the spring (ligure 6) on the right hand section of the saddle tree. The arrangement of one or both of these springs may be changed to the opposite hame or section of the saddle tree to suitthe fancy of the maker. The saddle is then fastened upon the back of the horse in the usual manner by the girth being buckled tightly under the belly. Upon pulling the cord which is attached to the two perpendicular springs (One on the y harnes and the other on the saddle) the saddle flies apart in the same mnaner as the hames. The bridle and driving reins *are released by the opening of the front or upright rings, and the breeching by the opening of the back or horizontal rings. The animal is thus instantaneously stripped of his harness and goes ofi with nothing but his collar, bridle, and the driving reins attached.

In order to prevent the cord attached to the two springs from being pulled accidentally, a guard is iXed firmly on the top of the crupper strap at its junction with the hip straps. This guard is of a triangular form set upright with the base riveted to the crupper strap, and is slightly open at the top. It may be made of iron, steel or any other suitable metal. The` cord passes through this guard and has a stop on it of stiff leather or other suitable material. This stop being o-n the side of the guard next to the saddle, comes against the guard, and

` prevents the cord from being drawn taut by accidental causes; while the driver has it always in his power by an upward toss to throw the cord out of the guard and then pull the springs. Drawing Grepresents the guard and the stop attached to the cord.

This invention can be applied either to single or double harness; but in applying it to the latter kind, it wouldperhaps be preferable to attach the breast strap to the strap connecting the hames at the bottom instead of in the usual manner. All the harness eX- cept the parts above described and which parts only I claim as my invention, are to be constructed in the usual mnaner.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- The manner of constructing the hames, the saddle tree, guard and stop as herein above described, so as to enable the driver at any time to detach the horse or horses from the harness and buggy, carriage, or

jot-her vehicle by a single pull or jerk of a cord.

GEORGE YELLOTT.

Witnesses COLEMAN YnLLo'r'r, WASHINGTON YnLLo'rT. 

